Perfect
by AppleDanish
Summary: Songfic. Danny's always known Vlad wanted him on his side because of the strong qualities he has. Now... he sees Danny was worthless. The full summary's inside but it's based on 'Checkmate' V/D.... again. I'm sorry, I just can't get enough of the pair! XD


**Perfect**

**By DannyTimmygirl327**

**Summary: Okay, this is kinda another songfic for Pearl84's 'Checkmate', but I originally wanted to make AU somewhat. Anyway, Danny and Vlad are always fighting with each other, but Danny knows he just doesn't understand what he's going through. He knows he's just being used for revenge and as a prize for Vlad, but he knows that whatever he does will never be right in the man's eyes. Little does he know how much Vlad really does understand him, so one rainy night, he finally proves it when Danny can't take it anymore and runs off. I swear, if I write one more father/son fic, I'm gonna go nuts. XD There's gonna be some DxS in this one, though. I don't own 'Checkmate', 'Perfect' by Simple Plan or Danny Phantom. Read, review and enjoy, guys!**

_Hey, dad, look at me,_

_Think back and talk to me_

_Did I grow up according to plan?_

_And do you think I'm wasting my time,_

_Doing things I wanna do._

_And it hurts that you disapprove all along…_

Danny sat on the edge of his bed, staring off into space. After that last argument with Vlad, he felt worthless in the man's eyes. He felt as though he had no purpose in this world; that he was just a statue to place on his mantle and polish anytime he pleased.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_Just a few hours ago_

"_For the love of…. Daniel, why can't you do anything right?!" Vlad shouted from just outside the stimulation room. Danny growled in frustration, shooting the targets as best as he could. He shot at lasers and realistic ghost enemies. It seemed like he was winning, but at the last minute, the final shot was fired at him and Danny flew back, crashing hard into the wall. _

_Vlad sighed angrily and shut down the stimulation. He switched off the ghost shield and opened the door. He walked over to Danny. He rolled his eyes and growled, "Get up." Danny looked up, his emerald green eyes burning with hate. After he refused to rise from his current spot, Vlad reached down and grabbed him by the arm, roughly yanking him up. Danny let out a surprised cry, his eyes still burning with the same hatred. He jerked away from the man's grip. "Vlad, don't you get it!? I could do better if you didn't push me so hard!" He cried out. _

_Vlad shook his head. "I push you because you aren't doing your best, child." He replied sharply. Danny stalked off down the hallway, his fists balled and ready to ignite green energy. Vlad quickly went after him. He grabbed Danny by the shirt collar and yanked him back. He pulled him close to his face and kept a firm grip on his shoulders so he wouldn't escape. _

_Danny squirmed in his grasp. "Let me go, Plasmius!" He hissed. Vlad's frown became deeper, his patience wearing thin. "Daniel, listen and listen well: you are beginning to prove me wrong. You are ridiculously disapproving me of your abilities and, I do dare say, you are making me see you as worthless!" He tossed Danny aside. "Just… do whatever you were going to do." He whispered, glaring in disgust before he disappeared down the hall. _

_For once, Danny fell silent. His glare went from annoyed to discouraged._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_And now I try hard to make it,_

_I just wanna make you proud._

_I'm never gonna be good enough for you._

_I can't pretend I'm alright…_

_And you can't change it-_

After what Vlad told him about being 'worthless', that's just what Danny felt-

Worthless.

He knew, in his parents' eyes, he was so much more. He was the proud, 15-year-old boy who was kinda shy, clumsy and was growing up, hoping one day he'd follow in their footsteps of ghost hunting. If he had told them who he was and how he was really shadowing their legacy-

They'd be so proud.

His best friends and sister, on the other hand, knew who he really was. Sure, he was still the same 15-year-old boy his parents saw, but he was so much more.

To Jazz, he'd always be her baby brother, who saved the lives of many people who were both grateful and eventually to become grateful to his heroics. She was also one of his weaknesses.

To Tucker, he was the best friend he ever had. In fact, he was just like a brother to him. He knew his friend was capable of many things, especially the ability to follow him on any of his wild schemes he'd usually attempt. He was also one of his weaknesses.

But aside from his best friend, sister and parents, there was one weakness that was so strong, she was just right there next to his mother:

Sam.

To her, he was the best friend she ever had. She always counted on him to be there for her and to never let go. Of course, there was that whole matter of having a crush on him that lasted for quite some time. She always loved Danny, but he was just too blind to see. After his return to Amity Park for one last time, he realized how… precious Sam was. He could see how beautiful she was, how caring and loving she was, just by watching her sleep that night. He wanted to reach out and touch her. He wanted to feel her warm arms around his body into a tight hug. He wanted to close his eyes and rock her in his arms, while whispering her name repeatedly. He wanted to breathe in her sweet scent; take in all that he could. He wanted-

He wanted to stare her in her glistening, Amethyst eyes, pull her lips close to his and finally, in one everlasting kiss, close his lips over hers and taste the sweet sensation.

"I wish I could've told you before, Sam. I'm sorry…" Danny whispered. He closed his eyes and fell back on his bed, gently caressing himself into a deep sleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

'_Cause we lost it all,_

_Nothing lasts forever_

_I'm sorry I can't be perfect…_

_Now it's just too late,_

_And we can't go back_

_I'm sorry I can't be perfect._

Rain pattered on the roof and window pane, giving off the silhouette of the raindrops onto the bed. Danny sat at his reading desk, sketching a picture with a ballpoint pen. He never realized what he was actually sketching before he finished the picture. His eyes never moved from the paper nor did the rest of his body except his hand and wrist as he continued to draw.

Finally, he grabbed another pen, this time a purple one and colored in the rest. He only used the black and purple pen for the entire picture, not really expanding his colors.

"Finished." He whispered, setting down the pen. He picked up the paper and smile sadly. His sketch turned out to be Sam's face; her eyes were perfectly etched into perfection. Her lips were slightly pumped with the purple pen as lipstick and thick black curves as it represented liner. Her hair seemed to be more wild than usual, but it was as shiny as it appeared in reality. Of course, her lips were curved into a beautiful smile, as if she were laughing. Her nose seemed wrinkled in charm, as though someone was making her happy.

Danny sat the paper aside and sighed. He wished the picture could come to life, to be able to see her face in reality, wrapped in her beauty.

"I miss you Sam." He said.

"Daniel! Come down here!" He heard Vlad shout from the dining room. Danny stood from his chair and walked slowly to the stairs. When he reached the dining room, Vlad was waiting for him with a furious glare on his face. "There you are. You know you have to train today in the stimulation room, right?" He demanded.

Danny ignored him and pulled out his pens, freely drawing on the dinner napkin. Vlad grabbed the pen from his hand and tossed it to the side. "Hey!" Danny protested. "You're never going to be perfect if you don't work- now!" Vlad hissed, an evil smile curling upon his lips.

Suddenly, Danny knew what he was talking about. His eyes widening in fear. He stood from the chair and backed away. "N-no. I'll never be like you!" He cried, pressing his hands against the wall. Vlad just smirked and whispered, "Ah, but Daniel, is that what I really mean?"

Danny closed his eyes and screamed, "I'll never be like you! **NEVER!**" With that, he took off running up the stairs without looking back. Tears tried to escape from his eyes as he departed to his room. He locked the door behind him and slid to the floor.

"I'll never be like him…" He whispered, silently trying to calm himself down.

_I try not to think,_

_About the pain I feel inside,_

_Did you know you used to be my hero?_

_All the days you spent with me,_

_Now seem so far away,_

_And it feels like you don't care anymore…_

What he meant, was after all the times that he and Vlad fought, the comments about his mother, killing his father, and making him his son were gone?

Was he really worthless now in the man's eyes?

Danny wanted to see why he felt this way. He wanted to see, after he was so afraid to go back into the place that almost killed him before, he was no longer a trophy. Of course, he didn't want to think of himself as property, but could he at least see in someone's eyes that he wasn't worthless? That he had a purpose in the world? A purpose to live?

Wasn't that really good enough?

Danny remembered once that he looked up to the man. He thought that he'd be the one person he could turn to whenever his ghost powers were acting up or if he had a question about it. He knew that he could help him and train with him every step of the way. The problem was that he couldn't leave behind the ones he loved; the ones he grew up with all his life. He didn't even know-

That Vlad did have a meaning in his life.

"I can't even live up to his standards…" Danny whispered, lazily flopping on the bed. He stared out the window, watching the raindrops carefully fall down the window pane. He walked up to the window and slowly traced the water droplets with his finger. He knew the rain would blend his oncoming tears. He stared outside a little longer before sighing and rising from his bed. He walked over to the desk, searching for the picture that he kept by his side forever.

He remembered at one point that he did look up to the man, surprisingly. He was curious to how far his own powers would reach and how long would it take to reach those standards. He knew the man could create multiple duplicates at once, something that Danny still had difficulty doing, and he could teleport from one place to another in a poof of smoke. He couldn't really imagine his own powers going that far, let alone even control his powers. He wished he could train with Tucker and Sam again, down in the lab with their weekly sessions.

He wished his life wasn't the way it was now.

"Does he even care about me?" Danny thought in disgust. He figured Vlad only wanted him there as a trophy; to show off how he successfully gained Danny willingly to his side. He didn't care about what he really needed or wanted.

He had won this battle- no-

He won the chess game.

He had him checkmated.

_And now I try hard to make it,_

_I just wanna make you proud…_

_I'm never gonna be good enough for you._

_I can't stand another fight…_

_And nothing's alright-_

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

_Cause we lost it all,_

_Nothing lasts forever_

_I'm sorry I can't be perfect…_

_Now it's just too late,_

_And we can't go back _

_I'm sorry _

_I can't be perfect._

The late rainy afternoon slowly turned into nightfall. Danny made his way downstairs earlier, eating his dinner in silence. He was glad that Vlad wasn't in the dining room at the time. He'd just criticize him and his abilities even more, dragging Danny further down in the process.

He twirled the fork around the spaghetti, moving it around the plate. His baby blue eyes stared at the plate in sadness. He wanted to be at his own home; giving Jazz his world-famous homemade spaghetti and taco sauce that he learned how to make from his mother. In fact, it was his father who gave him the suggestion of using taco sauce instead of regular spaghetti sauce for the recipe. She'd always light up with excitement when Danny came from the kitchen when they were younger, his clumsy, 5-year-old arms carrying the platter of spaghetti out to the table. Jazz sat anxiously at the kitchen table, readying her fork in anticipation.

He'd sit it down on the table in front of her, and lifted the platter. "Dinner is served." He'd say in his cute, little kid voice. Once she took that first noodle of the spaghetti and taste of the sauce, her plate was finished within a minute.

Slowly coming out of his memory, Danny twirled the spaghetti around the fork and placed it into his mouth. He closed his eyes and tried to convert it into his own creation, the familiar taste beginning to dissipate.

The taste never came.

George noticed his actions and stopped in front of the teenager. "Is something wrong, Daniel?" He asked.

Danny just shrugged and said, "I'm just trying to remember what my spaghetti tasted like,"

George raised an eyebrow. He was surprised to hear that the boy was somewhat a chef. "Well… how does the recipe go?" He asked.

Danny glanced up, now being the one confused. "Why?"

"I dunno… I guess, maybe… you'd like to make dinner tonight?" He suggested, giving him a small smile.

Danny thought for a moment. "Alright, I guess I'll give it a try." He agreed. He stood up and followed George to the kitchen. George tossed him a bowl and a spoon. "Here ya go. The rest is all up to you." He smiled at Danny and left the kitchen.

Danny walked over to the counter. He gathered all the ingredients he needed, and rubbed his hands together. "Let's get to it…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

About an hour later, Danny was finishing up the spaghetti and sauce, when George reentered the kitchen. "Almost finished?" He asked. Danny sprinkled powder on the noodles and took the sauce, pouring it all over the noodles. "Just about," He replied. He picked up the bowl, handed it to George and left the kitchen. "Wait! Aren't you gonna taste it first?" He asked, curious to why he was leaving. Danny smiled. "No, I already know what it tastes like. Just… save me some for later." He went through the door and passed Vlad, who was seated at the counter, reading the newspaper. Without so much as a glance or word to him, Danny eased by and departed to his room. Vlad smirked and sat down the paper. He spotted George, who was coming from the kitchen.

"Well, I see you finally got Danny to do something with himself," He chuckled. George sat down the platter in front of Vlad. "It seems the young boy is quite the chef, I must say. He spent the last hour in there making his homemade spaghetti." He lifted the platter, revealing a vivid plate of spaghetti, smothered in fresh taco sauce and cheese powder.

Vlad inspected the food for a moment. Then, he picked up the fork and twirled it around the noodles, carefully lifting it to his mouth. He chewed it for a moment, then…

His eyes widened. He couldn't believe how delicious the spaghetti was. He pulled the plate closer, spooning it into his mouth rapidly, not even giving himself time to take it all in.

He finally finished it, licking his lips in approval. "I must say, that was the best spaghetti I've ever had." He commented, smiling at George. "Hey, why don't you tell him that?" He suggested, gesturing towards the living room. Vlad sighed and stood up. "I suppose…" He whispered. He walked towards the stairs, went intangible and phased towards Danny's room.

He stood behind the door and slowly knocked. "Daniel?" He called. When there was no answer, he jiggled the knob, strangely enough finding it locked. Vlad sighed and walked through the door. He spotted Danny on his bed, his face turned away from him. A book was rested on his chest, moving in a steady pace.

"Daniel?" Vlad whispered again, walking over to him. He sat down beside the sleeping form before gently tapping him on the shoulder. For a second, Danny turned his body around, but he remained asleep. When he gave him a second tap, Danny slowly opened his eyes. He glanced up, seeing Vlad overlooking him. "What?" He asked in a faded, yet strong voice.

"Daniel-"He began, when he happened to spot a piece of paper on his desk. As if he were in a trance, he went to the desk and stared at the paper for a minute before picking it up. He looked at the picture longer, seeing how much work and effort he put into the drawing.

"Daniel, you do know that this will only cause you to reminisce even more, right?" He implied. Danny sighed. "So I'm not allowed to remember anyone in my life anymore, right?" He mumbled, giving him a tired glare. Vlad walked over to him once more. "I don't need you to get smart with me, boy. All I need is to know- why? Why do you miss them so much? They didn't give you what I have. They didn't give you everything you needed, right?"

Danny tossed the book aside and stood up. "Look, unlike you, Vlad, I have someone who believed in me and still does! My parents, sister and friends are out there, looking for me! They love me, something you could never do!" He shouted, his face flustered in anger.

"I can, Daniel! I'm better than them! I can do this, just for you!" Vlad said, his patience just about gone. "What are you talking about?" Danny said, in a nasty tone. "You've never been loved before! You even told me your own father hated you!"

That's when Vlad finally reached his breaking point.

He grabbed Danny by his wrist and twisted it as hard as he could. "Let me go!" He cried, hissing in pain. "Why? After what you just said… Daniel, you just crossed the line. And you're about to regret it!" He swung him around and slammed him into the wall. He lit up a pink etco beam and shot Danny in the back, causing him to cry in pain.

"Wait, Vlad-!" Danny was about to protest, when he was punched in the stomach. Danny jolted forward, unable to change into his ghost form and fight back. He had no idea what he said hit him so hard. He tried to escape, when Vlad punched him once again, this time in the face.

Danny fell to the floor, holding his stomach. He couldn't believe Vlad attacked him like that. He felt a trickle of blood escape his nose and his left eye was throbbing so badly, he couldn't see out of it anymore. He managed to glance up at Vlad and shook his head.

With a satisfied frown on his face, Vlad turned around and left the room. As soon as he closed the door, Vlad leaned against the door and stared at his hands.

"Who am I anymore?" He whispered in shock. He couldn't believe himself that he beat Danny like that, just because he told him the truth.

He knew Danny wasn't lying about his father…

Or about the ability to love.

_Nothing's gonna change the things that you said,_

_And nothing's gonna make this right again._

_Please don't turn your back_

_I can't believe it's it hard_

_Just to talk to you_

_But you don't understand…_

Danny felt something inside him snap, as well. He stood up and shot at the wall with an etco beam, creating a large hole. He kicked over the dresser and tossed over the bedsheets and mattress. He ripped one of the pillows in half and knocked everything from his desk. He crumbled the picture that he drew earlier and tossed it aside, throwing everything in the trash on the floor. He tore open the closet and ripped all the clothes from the racks, emptying boxes and various materials. He let out a distressed scream as he took his hand and slammed it against the mirror, shattering it to pieces. His hand had pieces of glass and blood leaking from the cuts, but he didn't care.

Finally, Danny fell to the floor, crying. He closed his eyes tightly and he held his fist in his hand, sobbing freely to the silent room.

"What did I do?!? What??" He screamed, feeling nothing but what Vlad described him as earlier-

Worthless.

_Cause we lost it all,_

_Nothing lasts forever…_

_I'm sorry_

_I can't be perfect…_

_Now it's just too late_

_And we can't go back_

_I'm sorry_

_I can't be perfect…_

The rain continued to fall, developing into a heavy downpour. Danny looked at his surroundings once more before bolting off down the stairs and out the back door, not even bothering to use his powers to fly off. As soon as he reached outside, the rain completely drenched him. Danny wrapped his arms around his body and took off running. He let his blood and tears mix with the rain, trying to get away from everything he endeared in the last month. He wanted to run all the way home, reach Amity Park's city limit and take off down the hill. He wanted to run down the streets towards his house in the rain, not caring that his legs would soon give out or his heart might stop beating. He wanted to reach his house and run up the steps and open the door. He wanted to run straight into his mother's embrace, his father's strong arms and his sister's tender touch. He wanted to hug his best friends, and finally get to tell Sam what he needed to say all along.

Danny ran down the sidewalk, his shoes splashing the puddles onto his pants legs. He began coughing, what with the cold air and the rain making it hard to breathe.

Finally, Danny stopped.

He stood in the middle of the sidewalk and fell to his knees. He just scooted over to the curb and sat down on the ground.

"I can't make it…" He whispered. "I really can't go home…"

"I failed."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Vlad walked towards Danny's room, a few hours after their little 'fight' earlier. He felt bad about what he did and went to apologize. "Daniel? Are you there?" He knocked on the door. But when he did, the door was unlocked. He walked in, seeing the entire room in ruins. Suddenly, he realized what Danny must've done.

"Oh, no," He whispered. He changed into his ghost form and flew off outside, flying towards his limo. When he reached the limo, he changed back into his human form, pulled on a coat and grabbed the umbrella. "Head down the street until we find him." He instructed the driver. He nodded and rode off down the rainy street.

Vlad wiped the foggy windows. It was extremely hard to find Danny, what with the downpour of the rain making it hard to see. "Where are you, Daniel?" He whispered, feeling worried.

They rode down for about 10 minutes, until Vlad spotted a figure on the side of the road. "Up there!" He instructed. The car veered his direction. Danny looked up, his hair covering his face and his skin a sickly pale shade. His black eye looked like it was getting worse and he needed immediate medical attention.

Vlad got out of the limo and put up his umbrella. He walked over to Danny and knelt beside him. "Are you okay?" He whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. Danny looked up, staring at Vlad with big, watery baby blue eyes.

"You don't care…" He hissed, pulling away. He was about to say something else, when he began to cough once more. Suddenly, he collapsed in the man's arms and sighed. "Vlad…" He whispered, feeling himself being lifted into the back of the car. Vlad sat him down on the backseat, pulled a blanket and towel over the boy's wet, cold body and turned up the heat. He had the driver take them back to the mansion.

"Yes, Daniel?" He asked, drying him off with the towel. Danny sniffled a bit before continuing. "D-do you really care?" He asked in a broken voice. Vlad looked at him with a longing stare before grabbing him and wrapping his arms around the boy in a tight hug.

"Yes, Daniel… I really do." He whispered. He closed his eyes and rocked Danny back and forth, never wanting to let go.

_Cause we lost it all,_

_Nothing lasts forever_

_I'm sorry_

_I can't be perfect…_

_Now it's just too late_

_And we can't go back_

_I'm sorry_

_I can't be perfect.  
_

**Freakin' writer's block! I can't think about Chapter 4 of 'Waiting to Exhale' because of this damn writer's block! *shakes fist* Well, I have the weekend to think. But, here ya go! Another songfic! Don't think there won't be more, because I am the songfic writer! XD Read and review, of course! See you guys in my continuing stories! :D**


End file.
